David's last and early days

Authors

• Yair Zakovitch Hebrew University of Jerusalem

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30752/nj.69598

Keywords:

Bible, Old Testament -- Criticism, interpretation, Jewish, David, King of Israel, Kings and rulers in the Old Testament, Bible, Samuel I

Abstract

This article deals with the beginning and end of David’s life. David’s lonely end, a reflection of his incapacity to love, marks the tragic close to his promising beginnings. The author shows how the stories that introduce David are missing two elements: a birth story and a genealogy. This absence can be explained by the biblical author’s desire to portray David as a male-Cinderella. This missing birth story can perhaps be reconstructed by reading between the lines in 1 Samuel 16–17, but also through the use of post-biblical traditions. Connections between the portrayals of the beginning and the end of David show that no progress has been made between the disappointing and tragic end of Saul and that of David.